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In the heart of Ghana’s Volta Region lies Mafi Dove, a peaceful, orderly community where tradition isn’t just heritage—it’s law. And for the small health centre that serves this town, those laws are more than cultural relics; they are daily operational challenges.
Health Centre Overstretched by Tradition
The Mafi Dove Health Centre, initially built as a basic CHPS compound, now functions more like a mini-hospital, stretched far beyond its original purpose. This transformation wasn’t by design, but by necessity—driven by one of the community’s most enduring taboos: no childbirth on Dove soil.
As soon as a pregnant woman shows signs of labour, she must leave the community immediately. Whether she is in pain or not, she is considered persona non grata until she delivers and her baby’s umbilical cord falls off. Only then can she return home.
This taboo forces a steady flow of pregnant women and new mothers to the health centre on the town’s outskirts. But the facility, with just four beds and a few midwives, is buckling under the weight.
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Emmanuel Egu, the physician assistant in charge of the Mafi Dove Health centre
“Sometimes women have to sleep on the floor with their babies,” said Emmanuel Egu, the physician assistant in charge. “We’re operating like a hospital, but we don’t have the space, staff, or equipment.”
Mothers who deliver at other hospitals also seek refuge here because tradition forbids them from returning home too soon. Caesarean patients, exhausted and healing, end up sheltering in a centre never meant to host anyone overnight.
A Need for a Maternity Wing
To address the growing demand, Egu suggests the construction of a dedicated maternity wing—a space designed specifically for postnatal care where women and their babies can stay until they are welcomed back into the community.
“A maternity shelter would reduce the pressure and improve care. The midwives could dress the umbilical cords daily, helping them fall off faster,” he explained.
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Emmanuel Egu, the physician assistant in charge of the Mafi Dove Health centre
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He also advocates for expanding the main health centre and hiring more midwives, pointing out that patient privacy is almost impossible under the current setup.
Why Mothers Can't Deliver in Dove
The pressure on the health centre only makes sense when one understands the taboos of Dove—longstanding spiritual laws said to have been passed down by divine instruction.
According to local elders Kwame Tsiditse Gbenua and Charles Gbenua, the community was founded by a hunter named Akiti, who migrated from Notsie in present-day Togo. After crossing the river Kebe, he settled in Dove. There, legend says, a voice from above gave him a warning: he could only live on that land if he followed three sacred laws.
The Three Core Taboos of Dove
1. No Childbirth on Dove Soil
The most well-known of the taboos. Pregnant women are strictly forbidden from giving birth in the community. The risk of blood "polluting" the sacred land is too great, according to traditional belief. Women must leave the community to deliver—and cannot return until the baby’s umbilical cord falls off.
Interestingly, menstruation is permitted. Though also involving blood, it is not considered a spiritual threat like childbirth is.
2. No Animal Rearing
There are no goats, chickens, or sheep roaming Dove’s streets. Residents can bring animals into the town—but only males, and they must be slaughtered the same day. This rule, too, ties back to the fear of female animals giving birth and staining the land.
Despite the ban, meat is consumed regularly in Dove. It’s just not raised there.
3. No Burials in Town
When someone dies in Dove, their body must be taken outside the community for burial. There is no cemetery within Dove’s borders. This taboo stems from the same principle of preserving the sanctity of the land. Death and blood are both considered spiritually corrosive.
“When human blood stains the ground, it invites evil,” say the elders. These beliefs, they insist, have protected Dove from conflict and misfortune for generations.
A Community Trying to Keep Up
The influence of these taboos has turned a modest health facility into a regional maternity centre—but with none of the resources such a role demands.
Cramped rooms serve multiple functions. Family planning conversations often take place within earshot of others. Some women avoid the facility entirely because of the lack of privacy.
Beyond maternal health, sanitation is another issue. Dove has no public toilet, and many homes lack private ones. Residents often defecate in the nearby bush, contributing to the spread of diseases like diarrhoea and dysentery.
“We see too many cases of preventable illnesses,” said Egu. “Toilets could change that.”
A Lab with Limited Tools
The health centre’s laboratory is also poorly equipped. Owusu Acheampong Kweku, the medical lab scientist, says even basic tests like full blood counts can’t be performed because there’s no analyser.
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Owusu Acheampong Kweku, the medical laboratory scientist
“I sometimes have to improvise using a microscope,” he said. “It’s not the best, but I try to support the physician assistant as much as possible.”
He’s calling on the government, NGOs, and private donors to visit the facility and see the needs for themselves.
Appeals Ignored by Authorities
Despite their best efforts, Mafi Dove’s leaders say they’ve received little to no support from government institutions. According to Amos Alorse, the town development planning secretary and Unit Committee Chairman of the Mafi Dove electoral area, they have made several appeals to the district assembly and central government, but these calls have largely fallen on deaf ears.
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Amos Alorse, the town development planning secretary who doubles as the Unit Committee Chairman of the Mafi Dove electoral area
“We’ve written, we’ve called—we’ve done everything,” Alorse said. “But often, it’s just us, trying to build what we can from nothing.”
Because help rarely comes, the community has had to take development into its own hands—building the health centre, constructing a police station, and establishing a market—all through communal labour and local initiative.
A Town That Builds for Itself
When officials don’t respond, the people of Dove take action. The health centre itself was started by the community through communal labour before the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection helped complete it after media attention.
They’ve also built a police station—now waiting to be commissioned—and a market, which has become a key trading hub for the Volta Region.
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Mafi Dove market women complain about challenges
But even the market faces hurdles. Traders complain about the lack of toilets, muddy floors, and mini-floods during rainy seasons. They are asking for a cemented floor and sanitation facilities to protect the food they sell.
The Balancing Act Between Culture and Care
Mafi Dove’s taboos are part of its identity. They’ve guided the community for centuries and shaped its social fabric. But in today’s world, those very beliefs are creating serious health and development challenges.
The people are willing to adapt—just not by abandoning their spiritual foundation. What they need is support that respects tradition but enables progress.
They’ve done the hard part: building, organising, persevering. Now they’re asking for help to do the rest.
Will Ghana listen?